Desperado
by Enticity
Summary: Gaara of the Desert has been sent to assassinate Sasuke of the Uchiha Clan. But to get to him, he must first get past Sakura. He is desperate to complete this mission. Even at the price of falling in love.


**Title: **Desperado  
**Author: **Enticity  
**Genre: **Drama + Romance  
**  
Summary: **Gaara of the Desert has been sent to assassinate Sasuke  
of the Uchiha Clan. But to get to him, he must first get past Sakura. He is  
desperate to complete this mission, even at the price of falling in love.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. Yet.

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**Chapter One**  
**The Cursed Seal

* * *

**

He ran. He'd had a need for speed, a thirst to zip along the thick branches of the forest, with his foul and reckless mood chasing behind him. He thought perhaps he could outdistance it, or perhaps meet it head-on. If he met it, bloodied it, conquered it, he knew he would just keep running until he was somewhere else.

Anywhere else.

The demon within him was becoming stronger. He sensed it, believed it. He knew it. He'd slept only once, for merely an hour. Yet during that time, the dream had haunted him. He had dreamt of dying, burning in his own flesh. And from under his skin came Shukaku. His wicked smile gleaming in triumph. And he, Gaara of the Desert, doing nothing but watch the Sand Priest overcome him.

He shook his head. No, it would not come to that. He wouldn't allow it. Even as he lay awake in the night, the image of Shukaku using his body as a portal was much too alarming.

With his breath running hard, and his heart pounding in his head, he perched himself atop the branch of a tree. Leaning against the comfort of its trunk, he stared. Too afraid to even close his eyes, he gave himself time to catch his breath. And to think.

He was Gaara of the Desert. The killer psychopath of the Hidden Sand Village. The boy who selfishly loves himself and kills because it makes him feel good. The murderer who possessed a Sand demon inside. It was who he was, who he was born as. But it wasn't who he wanted to be. It wasn't what he wished to become.

_Foolish_, he told himself. He was one of the most powerful Ninjas in the world. Even the mention of his name strikes fear into one's heart. What more could he possibly want? He didn't know. He touched a hand to his forehead, where the symbol of love was marked. Anger swarmed inside of him. What the hell was wrong with him?

"You poor, naive fool," a voice mocked. Gaara's eyes wandered into the shadows, where the voice echoed. It wasn't familiar to him, yet he felt it should. He snarled, and tensed. The chakra he sensed was powerful. Whoever the voice belong to wasn't here for idle conversation.

"Calm yourself, Gaara," the voice continued, coming in all directions. Gaara's hands fisted. Where was the voice coming from? "I do not wish to fight. Only to understand."

"Understand that I don't need your sympathy," Gaara finally spoke, his voice rough and irritated. "Leave me be."

A laugh returned. "Oh, I do not sympathize. I am simply curious. I sense the confusion in you, Gaara. The hatred, the hurt, the loneliness. I can help."

Now Gaara smirked. "Show yourself, coward. Fight me now and prove to me that you're not all talk."

"Is it a fight that you wish, Gaara? A worthy opponent to your advanced abilities?" A dark aura emerged from the darkness, into to the ground. Gaara watched in mild amusement as the ground melted, the remains rising and forming the figure of a man. His dark hair flowing in all directions. It was his eyes that Gaara noticed first. They were dark, and in them he saw the mocking humor.

"Reveal your name, stranger," Gaara demanded, crossing his arms across his chest.

"My name?" The man chuckled. "My dear boy, my name is not what you should inquire." But before he could finish his sentence, Gaara's gourd was open, and sand leaked out, its figure shaped similarly to his fisted hands, prepared to fight.

"Sand might protect you," he began, a smirk touching his lips,"but it will not defeat me." The statement was made so simply, so surely, that Gaara found his hands squeezing harder. So this man wanted to challenge him? Did he truly believe that he, Gaara of the Desert, could be defeated so easily?

With one swipe, the sand followed, charging straight for its target. The stranger easily dodged, but Gaara wasn't finished. With more hand movements, spheres of sand shot out at him.

The stranger placed to fingers in front of his mouth and blew. Out came fireballs that raced past the balls of sand, dissolving each quickly. But beneath each sphere were dozens of Shuriken. His eyes widened, but with one quick leap, he disappeared into thin air.

Gaara's watched, his eyes narrowed. Looks like the foreigner wasn't an amateur after all.

From behind him came the flashing movement of someone's foot. Without even moving, the sand rushed to block the attack. That was when Gaara's arm lashed out, grabbing the stranger's ankle.

With his free leg, the newcomer was able to smash the Desert boy in the face. With a growl of fury, Gaara slipped off the branch and fell to the ground.

He landed safely, for his gourd had dissolved and formed into a bed of sand. Swiftly, he rose into a fighting stance, his eyes jumping left and right, searching for any sign of where the stranger would strike next.

The rustle of grass whistled. Gaara turned around - his face mere inches from the man's face. He stared into his black eyes, and saw himself staring blindly. He saw the hasty image of daggers flying into his stomach. His eyes widening in shock and pain, and the triumphant grin of the stranger he never knew.

Blinking, he tore away from the man. He just saw himself dying. Who the hell was this guy?

The stranger cackled in pure delight. "Tell me, Gaara, what did you see?" Slowly, almost as if he was building the suspense, the man reached into his pockets, pulling out four kunai, all of them placed neatly in between each finger.

Gaara's eyes widened further. The man snickered. "Don't worry, Gaara. I won't kill you here." His eyes grew maniac-like, and Gaara watched in bewilderment as his neck grew longer and longer. Then he charged.

He had to run. At the speed it was coming, his shield wouldn't protect him. But he couldn't move. He was completely paralyzed.

Suddenly, he felt a prickle at the back of his neck, and then the horrible feeling of death as the stranger's fangs dug into his shoulder. Violently, Gaara screamed. The pain was unimaginable.

Finally, the man let go, his neck returning normally. Now, his expression was mild and businesslike. Grabbing Gaara by the hair, he forced the Desert boy to look at him. "Welcome to my world, Gaara," he declared, an evil laugh upon his lips. "Be grateful, for I've given you the most precious gift of all." He leaned closer to his ear. "Power," he whispered.

"What do you want?" Gaara finally spoke, his eyes narrowed and gazing at the man. "Who are you?"

"Questions, questions." The man released his grip on Gaara. "I want you to be happy, Gaara. Don't you want to be happy?"

Gaara remained silent.

"You and I are quite similiar. We wish for power, for greatness. As the generous person that I am, you've received more power than you could ever imagine."

Before he could speak, the foreigner raised a finger. "And there is more awaiting you, Gaara of the Desert." He smiled. An evil laugh that had Gaara wanting to shudder.

"All you must do is kill Uchiha Sasuke."

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I am new to the Naruto Fandom. I warn you now that this fiction might not  
be as accurate as most Naruto fanfics. If this is so, consider it an AU.

Please bear with me. For the only references I have are those of and 


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